Learn JavaScript faster with a few mind tricks

18 Apr Learn JavaScript faster with a few mind tricks

Leaning a programming language or in fact, learning JavaScript has a few challenges which are pretty much the same for most people.

Why Study JavaScript?

JavaScript is one of the 3 languages all web developers must learn:

1. HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language defines the content of web pages

2. CSS – Cascading Style Sheets specifues the layout of web pages

3. JavaScript allows you to program the behavior of web pages

If you have experience in coding, it can be a bit confusing to learn a language with a slightly different concept. Also, at times it becomes boring and hard to get the motivation to learn a new language. With an ever changing tooling landscape, it is not easy to determine the point from where you should start learning a new language like JavaScript. I have tried to make things a bit easier for you by introducing you to five distinct mind tricks that can help you learn this language fast and clean. These tricks are from my experience and I can bet that they will work well for you too. The target would be to become a carefree, happy and productive coder who uses JS comfortably.

Your Future Decisions are in Future. Progress Now by taking up the job at hand

JavaScript is a pretty common coding language but there are a lot of frameworks to choose from. Getting comfortable with raw JavaScript takes time. So, instead of wasting time on which framework to get acquainted with first, its better to plan a roadmap ahead as per your job and proceed on similar lines. As for example, a front-end developer could built up his roadmap starting with HTML, then moving onto CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Hosting and later on move forward to WordPress, GitHub and Framework.

A simple good looking webpage can be built with HTML and CSS alone. So, identifying what you need solves a lot of problems in your way. For some who might find my roadmaps useful, I have a few details charted up making it easier for a front-end developer work his way out.

Confidence is necessary but don’t let it get over you

Some concepts in JavaScript might appear too simple, but do not let the language fool you because there are mostly several underlying explanations behind every function. Once you have understood a particular portion, you will move onto the next and so on. But, there comes a point where you might tend to forget the concepts you learnt during your initial phase. I suggest to give a quick glance in between to the initial chapters and then move forward. This helps keep everything fresh and coding becomes more enjoyable.

The other way to overcome this is to practice for real i.e. write your learnt code and implement it before you move onto the next. Personally, I gained a lot of momentum using this technique. You would also notice that your implementation might have slight differences than the actual example which is interesting and good because it gives you chances to experiment and absorb newer ways to remember the concept. Try and take up small amount of information at a time. Take a break and re-iterate your code before moving onto the next part.

Reading and moving ahead might look simpler at any given point of time, but when you actually sit down to code, you would feel blank. I had to learn this in a hard way on many occasions, until I improvised upon my own techniques which I am sharing with you now.

A right mindset matters. Approach with the same.

Shortcuts seem pretty cool until you face several obstacles together at a later point of time. Invest time in learning every new concept because if you are making it fast initially, it would take more time to know the whole scenario at a later point of time. But, what’s the way to make it faster and better?

Change your view and try this mindset shift:

Let’s say, you taught yourself a new JavaScript concept but you do not have any way to try it out. Would that be good? As for me, it would be pretty frustrating. It is pretty similar to having a new toy as a kid, but not being allowed to touch it during my play times.

So, next time, when you learn something, make sure that you have the curiosity to play with your new lesson. It is good to tweak and hover around the concept, having fun with it. It ir. ving fun with it. Its just roaming and hanging around a stranger until you become friends and be comfortable around him or hs just like roaming and hanging out with a stranger until you become friends and be comfortable around him or her. Try new things and surprise yourself or show it to your friends.

Go slow. That’s the way to learn faster

This might seem a bit confusing but let me explain it to you. A certain colleague of mine was pretty skeptical about using a feature of JS in an unlikely scenario. I let myself walk through his explanations and I noticed that though his implementation was on the right track he was rushing and missing a key parameter on the way.

I asked him to take it slow and talk me through each step in detail. Surprisingly, when he was walking me though his code slowly and in detail through every step, he was able to figure out the issue himself without any help from me.

The key learning that he had from this was to start fresh and look into every step in detail. He knew the fix, but was overlooking it since he was in a hurry.

So, you know now: When you go slowly, you actually learn faster i.e. consume the concepts better, thereby being more comfortable around the same next time.

Going through a complex code in a simple way

When there are complex logic and workflows coming up on a fast track, the better way is to break it down and write your logic in a simple language initially. This helps you re-run yourself throughout the actual possibilities you would be facing. I have faced such circumstances innumerous times in the past and even today, when I come across a scenario where implementation of a complex logic is necessary, I take similar steps, which benefit me in two ways.

Coding becomes faster and easier because writing it before in simple language has already laid the track on which I want my code to behave. So, when I am actually writing my JavaScript, I do not have to think about the logic. Instead, I can completely focus on my code and comments. It helps me reuse my functions better and develop a systematic and effective code.

Debugging becomes simpler when you follow this method. It is because, while coding you have a clear picture of what the current functions hold and how you would manipulate the input parameters to give the desired result. This way, you would be aware of the bugs even before they arrive.

Conclusion

We all know our ways to overcome difficulties in learning a new language, and a few additional tips to fast forward onto the path of excellence is always welcome. Let’s recap our MindTricks to learn JavaScript faster, once again:

Do not worry about your future decisions. Instead, focus on the code at hand

Get comfortable around the new concept just like you would get around a stranger to a friend.

Take small and strong steps. Its the key to learn faster.

Be confident, but do not let it get over you. Practice before your move ahead.

Sharing experience is worth the time and learning is a never ending process. Do drop in your comments sharing your experience and tips on how to learn JavaScript and code faster. We together could build up some good point helping others on the way.